TECHNOLOGICAL CAPABILITIES

INORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Construction

  • Sustainable cement based on clinkers with low energy requirements and fly ash.
  • High performance cement with low-impact internal curing agents and self-sealing.
  • Photocatalytic, self-cleaning cement with TiO2 based on waste of opaque PET and recycled glass for façade cladding.
  • Sustainable construction materials based on agricultural byproducts and fibres recovered from textile waste.

Sensorics

  • Networks of low-cost, small sensors for monitoring NH3 in stables and reducing the smell in nearby populations.
  • Sensorics to detect pollution in the environment. Measurement of levels of methane in gas pipelines.

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Organic chemistry

  • Bio-based foams and polymer insulation materials (polyol foams, natural cellulose fibres and nanocrystals) for buildings and vehicles.
  • Agents that repel water and oil that are non-fluoridated for the textile industry.
  • Encapsulation and sequential release of aromas with changes in flavour.
  • Bio-based flame retardants for environmentally friendly plastics instead of halogenated compounds.
  • New natural biodegradable polymers (PHAs) based on mixed microbial cultures with applications in industry and medicine.
  • Development of biodegradable polymers.

Functionalised materials

  • New materials and multi-materials for additive manufacturing that improve productivity (functional parts, finishes and post-processes).
  • Obtaining nano surfaces and functional microstructures in injected polymer parts.

HEALTH

Biomaterials

  • Antibacterial and osteoinductive coatings.
  • Surgical meshes that can interact as a smart material with biological tissues. 
  • Implantable and absorbable sensors for pressure, temperature and acidity.

Pharmaceutical chemistry 

  • Highly sensitive technology to detect viral infections in the blood.
  • Functionalised hydrogels with nanoparticles.
  • New polymer materials for drug release.
  • Design of new biodegradable polymer systems with bactericide, antioxidant and anticarcinogenic properties.
  • Manufacture by ultrasound of coatings with antimicrobial nanoparticles on the surface of special hospital textiles, water treatment membranes, implantable medical devices, etc.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT

Circular economy

  • Methods and tools to integrate circular systems in the process industry. 
  • Recovery of added value waste from the copper industry (Bi/Sb) and elimination of As in the mineral phase.
  • Recycling of opaque PET for high added value applications.
  • New materials and coatings to mitigate abrasive wear and deterioration caused by corrosion.
  • Treatment of effluent from textile industries through a new electrochemical alkaline system for hydrogen production.
  • Development of lightweight, high-performance biocompounds that are recyclable.
  • Water treatment, recovery of valuable metals and minerals from brines from desalination plants.
  • Obtaining bioproducts and bioenergy from cyanobacterial activity on waste from urban wastewater, the food industry and others.
  • Recovery of metals through reactive crystallisation, selective membrane separation and selective sorption/desorption from brine.
  • Thermosensitive hydrogels for desalination and purification of water.
  • Recovery of rare earth and metal elements from:
    • E-waste and lithium-ion batteries
    • Liquid defluent from hydrometallurgical and mining processes
  • High added value polymers from recycled, devulcanized elastomers.

Management of emergencies

  • 3D models for assessing the spread of fires, adverse weather or the dispersal of pollution.
  • Virtual reality in 3D, real volumes and dynamics of computational fluids to measure the radiative transfer and improve the monitoring of fires. 
  • Protocols for the population and for the emergency services in hazardous situations.

Packaging

  • Bioplastics for sustainable packaging based on polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA).
  • Edible food packaging based on materials from renewable sources that are biodegradable and safe and can protect foods and increase their useful life. 
  • Highly crystalline, degradable polyesters and polyurethanes for the manufacture of environmentally friendly containers.

The environment

  • Wastewater filtration systems from aquaculture to retain emerging pollutants (antibiotics). 
  • Antimicrobial agents of marine origin to reduce the use of conventional food supplements for fish and animals.
  • Identification of sources of greenhouse gases using radon as a tracer.
  • Microencapsulation with biodegradable polymers to avoid the release of microplastics in the process of domestic cleaning with fabric conditioners.

CHEMICAL AND LABORATORY PROCESSES

  • Ecoblends of high added value to optimise additive manufacture. 
  • Production of ethanol in an ecological, selective way based on CO2 and methane through a hydroxyapatite catalyst.
  • Management of highly active nuclear waste: dissolution of fission products and actinides in nuclear fuel
  • Transformation of low-quality residual heat into electricity due to conversion processes, transport and use of energy
  • Catalyst to produce hydrogen through reforming of a renewable substrate. 
  • Bimetal catalysts for processes of production of blue and green hydrogen.

APPLICATION SECTORS

FOOD

AGRICULTURE AND MARINE ENVIRONMENT

ENERGY

HEALTH

TEXTILES

BIOTECHNOLOGY

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